Try some composite deck material. (polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-based products or other non-wood decking material)These should not expand or absorb water, and working with them is similar to wood.

I was thinking about that... I think it is a great idea... I am going to go to home depot today and see if they have any "plastic lumber"... I have used it for trim work before... but haven't seen any "1 by" material that I can remember... decking would be good, but I wonder if they keep it in stock where I could just buy one piece?

D'oh! This should have occurred to me sooner! You can buy PVC "lumber". It's made to be used as exterior trim on houses. It comes in a couple 1x sizes. It's kind of pricey, but should last forever. Look around if you can't find the size you want, because some places carry a bigger selection than others.

D'oh! This should have occurred to me sooner! You can buy PVC "lumber". It's made to be used as exterior trim on houses. It comes in a couple 1x sizes. It's kind of pricey, but should last forever. Look around if you can't find the size you want, because some places carry a bigger selection than others.

Got one today! Yeah, not really cheap, I had to pay $20 for a 1 x 8... but I got 8 feet (the only length they had)... which means I could probably make 4 of these... but first things first... I will have to try to make another one (just like the first) but this time with the PVC lumber. Too bad it is Sunday night and I have a real job that I have to go to during the week.

Got one today! Yeah, not really cheap, I had to pay $20 for a 1 x 8... but I got 8 feet (the only length they had)... which means I could probably make 4 of these... but first things first... I will have to try to make another one (just like the first) but this time with the PVC lumber. Too bad it is Sunday night and I have a real job that I have to go to during the week.

Don't know if you will have this problem or not, but I have had problems with silicone holding to acrylic or plastic. Be interested ot see how it comes out.

Speaking of the sealing concept of this photo tank and bigger plywood tanks. I was wondering if you could use Line-X. Would it leak any chemicals into the tank? I dont know how cost effective it would be, but I know Line-X seals wood (along with truck beds). I'm not sure what the charge would be to spray a small photo tank, if you caught the right person, on the right day...they may spray it for free if they were already doing another job. Just a thought.

Try some composite deck material. (polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-based products or other non-wood decking material)These should not expand or absorb water, and working with them is similar to wood.

Michael, this is a wonderful idea. The last 2 photo tanks I made I broke before I even put them in the car. I wonder if some of that hard plastic fake fencing would work instead of the wood? Oh the brain is flipping out. I got to try that. Thanks for giving be an alternative to try after so many failed attempts. David Ramsey

A regular untreated 1 by X wooden board would be less expensive than PVC, no? I understand the attraction to the already finished surface. But since you are using a paddle, the color wouldn't matter much anyway, right? A couple coats of polyurethane would make it waterproof, too. One might even have this items as scrap around the house. Not sure how well silicone would stick to wood, though.

Dave, most of the fencing stuff I have seen is hollow... so might not be that easy to work with as compared to this facia and soffett material that is solid 1 by 8.

Laura, I agree and that is where I started. But some of my reading led me to believe that coating the wood (everywhere!) was one of the "easy to imagine but difficult to accomplish in practice" things that would reduce the durability of the tank (photo or otherwise). And since I am planning on this being a field item, it will get wet on the outside as well as the inside... so that's why I decided to try this.

Should have some time this weekend (spent last weekend snorkeling... see other thread) to get it assembled and sealed... will let everyone know how it goes.

There are a lot of great suggestions pertaining to the construction materials and sealing of the box. However, I can't get past the use of glass.
Seems to me that the advantage of plexiglas is that it won't shatter the first time I accidentally drop it. Just a thought.

OK, so I got the PVC Board home and began to work with it. It was very easy to cut (almost too soft, I had to be careful to keep the cuts square). It was perfect for drilling and countersinking the screw holes.new pt1.jpg122.25KB1 downloads
I assembled with regular PVC cement (which is supposed to be water tight for plumbing and must be relatively non-toxic... I mean we drink out of it) and sheet rock screws. Everything went together rather easily. I did notice that the sheet rock screws would aggressively bury themselves, so I have to be careful to not drive them too hard.new pt2.jpg122.21KB2 downloads
I added some extra PVC cement (solvent really) to the inside corners, figuring that it would help seal them.new pt3.jpg95.51KB0 downloads
As before I applied the silicone to the front of the finishes box (being careful this time to favor the inside edge), put the glass on and weighed it down while the silicone cured. Here is the finished product.new pt4.jpg108.2KB1 downloads
And here are some quick photos I took with it this afternoon.

Oh, by the way... the photo tank worked perfectly... no leaks, no problems... I think I like working with the material and the general sturdiness of the tank is just what I was looking for when I started this project...

I am curious how your photo tank system has held up and developed since this last posting? 3 years ago!
I just outfitted a small aquarium with a 2 sided, matte grey and matte black, "squeeze" panel and binder clips for some controlled shots tomorrow.
Is your front panel glass? I think so at least in regards to your last posting about weighing the "glass" down.
And what of using matte glass to reduce glare?
No interest in matte acrylic? Too scratchy?

I really like your use of PVC for the body. Most sign shops have scraps of 1/2" material around... but not 1" thick so common... but might.

1) I am still enjoying my phototank... even built a second one... both are going very well... sturdy, durable, etc.
2) Yes, the front is glass. I have not tried matte glass, but it is a good idea. My front glass is actually some rather think stuff that I cut from an old aquarium topper. I do get a little more glare than some of the other acrylic set ups I have seen, but not too back if I just position myself correctly. I did try acrylic... but the silicone does not stick to it and the acrylic front popped off on about the second use (fortunately I was at home and just about to put fish in it from emptying the ponds). So the design as is does not really work with acrylic.
3) I got plenty of leftover 3/4 inch "board" and seeing as how you are my big buddy, I could just make you one, without the glass. I think you would like to get your own glass anyway... maybe try the matte idea... or at least get some nicer glass that what I might have. Email me if you are interested and I can tell you what I can do and what size and such.

Cool...
I am working with a frame maker currently and i bet he could provide me a piece of non glare matte glass cut to the size you call for.
Let's give it a try and i will make a trade for coffee beans, pinto beans, diamonds or such.

Re non-glare glass, I bought a 8" square piece from a picture framing shop for exactly this purpose, and got an unpleasant surprise: It turns out non-glare glass is transparent only when an object is pressed up right against it. Move the object back from the glass more than a 1/2 inch and the image is blurry, like shower door glass. Maybe there are other types of non-glare glass, but the piece I got was useless for fish photography, except maybe ventral view of a hogchoker or clingfish.

Re acrylic front, could you drill and screw it to the box? That way the silicone would only have to seal it, not hold the pressure. Or use Goop or Shoe-Goo which bonds well on many plastics.

Re acrylic front, could you drill and screw it to the box? That way the silicone would only have to seal it, not hold the pressure. Or use Goop or Shoe-Goo which bonds well on many plastics.

I thought about that, but never tried it... would still have the issue of the tendancy for acrylic to scratch... the glass (at this thickness anyway) has been very durable... I would have never thought that one of these boxes was three years old...